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SOCIOLOGICAL    MONOGRAPH    NO.  11 


Vol.  Ill 


MARCH  1918 


No.  3 


EDITED  BY  EMORY  S.   BOGARDUS 
Department  of  Sociology,  University  of  Southern  California 


THE  RUSSIANS  IN 
LOS  ANGELES 


BY 


LILLIAN  SOKOLOFF,  A.B. 


\i  Caliiornia 

Kegional 

Facility 


Published  by  the  Southern  California  Sociological  Society 

University  of  Southern  California 

at  the  University  of  Southern  California  Press 

Los  Angeles,  California 


iL 


vcj 


■^1 


The  Russians  in  Los  Angeles 

BY 
LILLIAN  SOKOLOFF,  A.  B.* 


1.  Introduction.  There  are  approximately  3750  Russians  in 
Los  Angeles.  Of  this  number,  about  100  are  Pravloslavni,  or 
"followers  of  the  true  faith."  They  are  nominally  members  of 
the  Greek-Catholic  Church  in  Russia,  but  actually,  many  are  now 
free-thinkers.  They  are  sometimes  referred  to  in  Los  Angeles  as 
non-sectarians. 

The  remaining  3650  Russians  in  this  city  are  sectarians. 
Because  they  constitute  97  per  cent,  of  the  Russian  population  of 
Los  Angeles,  they  will  be  given  the  chief  place  in  this  monograph. 
It  may  be  noted  in  passing  that  no  Russian  Jews  are  included. 
Only  persons  who  belong  to  the  Russian  division  of  the  Slavic  race 
are  di.scussed.  Of  the  sectarians,  3300  are  Molokans  (milk- 
drinkers),  50  are  Dukhobors  (evil  spirit  fighters),  and  250  are 
Subotniks  (Judaized  Russians).  The  Molokans,  in  turn,  are  com- 
posed of  Priguni  (jumpers)  and  Postoyani  (steady)  in  the  pro- 
portion of  3100  to  200. 

The  first  group  of  Molokans,  who  came  here  in  1905,  settled 
around  Bethlehem  Institute  on  Vignes  Street.  When  others  came, 
a  few  bought  homes  along  Clarence  and  Utah  Streets.  Then  the 
settlement  grew  in  the  district  situated  between  Boyle  Avenue  on 
the  east  and  the  Los  Angeles  River  on  the  west,  and  between  Aliso 
Street  on  the  north  and  Seventh  Street  on  the  south.  Recently 
there  has  been  a  new  settlement  made  along  what  is  known  as  Salt 
Lake  Terrace  several  blocks  east  of  the  larger  colony.  On  that  street 
are  located  many  of  the  somewhat  better  homes.  In  a  hollow  south 
of  Stephenson  Avenue  and  east  of  Mott  Street,  there  is  a  group  of 
about  sixty  houses  occupied  by  Russians  only. 


*  Editor's  Note:  The  author  of  this  monogrraph  was  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Southern  California  In  1915.  This  study  was  made  as  a  pha^©  of 
the  work  in  the  Sociology  seminar. 

1 


2.  Sectarian  Emigraticn  from  Russia.  To  understand  the 
Russians  in  Los  Angeles,  it  is  necessary  to  consider  briefly  their 
liistorical  backgrounds.  During  the  reign  of  Alexis  I\Iichaelovitch, 
second  ruler  of  the  Romanoff  family — 1645-1676 — Nicon,  at  that 
time  patriarch  of  the  Russian  Greek-Catholic  Church,  investigated 
and  decided  to  change  the  liturgy.  While  the  ruling  house  accepted 
liis  changes  and  formally  adopted  his  type  of  worship  as  the  state 
religion,  there  were  many  dissenters  who  would  not  submit  to  the 
dictates  of  the  government  in  matters  of  religion.  The  dissenters 
were  continually  persecuted  or  banished,  and  were  greatly  dis- 
satisfied wnth  the  bureaucratic  institutions,  with  the  hypocrisy  of 
the  priesthood,  and  with  the  forms  of  their  worship;  the  numbers 
who  sought  other  types  of  religion  that  would  satisfy  their  deep 
religious  feelings,  constantly  grew^  Most  of  the  dissenters  were 
among  the  people  living  in  that  part  of  the  country  known  as 
Great  Russia.  The  government  of  Tambov  became  the  centre  of 
the  activities  of  the  sectarians,  but  soon  sectarianism  spread  also 
to  the  governments  of  Koslov,  Samara,  Sartov,  and  Voronezh. 

Prominent  among  the  religious  sects  that  developed,  were  the 
Dukhobors,  the  Molokans,  and  the  Subctniks.  The  last-mentioned 
are  Russians  who  have  embraced  the  JeAvish  faith.  This  result  was 
not  through  influence  exerted  on  the  part  of  Jews,  however,  because 
the  Jews  do  not  have  any  form  of  mission  work  for  the  purpose 
of  conversion  to  Judaism;  nor  were  there  any  Jews  living  in  that 
part  of  Russia  where  these  religious  sects  developed.  The  Subot- 
niks  embraced  Judaism  as  a  result  of  reading  the  Old  Testament. 

The  essence  of  the  Dukhobor  religion  is  a  belief  in  the  divinity 
of  Christ,  and  the  brotherhood  of  man.  The  Dukliobors  do  not 
believe  in  any  earthly  representative  of  God  ;  tliey  liave  no  church 
leaders,  and  no  icons  or  images.  They  do  not  luive  churcii  cere- 
monies nof  <ln  lliey  believe  in  saints  as  do  the  (ircc'lv  Cistholics. 
They  are  opposed  to  war  and  therefore  to  military  service.  Tlieir 
relifion  forbids  th<-ir  indulging  in  the  use  of  intoxicating  li(|uors, 
;ind  in  smoking. 

The  religion  of  the  Molokans  sprang  from  that  of  the 
hukhohors.  'i'licy  call  themselves  Spiritual  Christians,  or  New 
Israelites,  'i'lie  name  Molokan.  derived  lidiii  the  word  "moloko" 
which  means  milk,  was  first  ap|)licd  to  them  in  ITfif)  by  a  religious 
sect  in  the  Government  of  Tambov.    This  name  was  applied  l)ecause 

2 


of  the  fact  that  the  Molokans  drink  milk  every  day  in  the  week, 
while  the  Greek  Catholics  abstain  from  it  on  Wednesdays  and 
Fridays,  which  are  fast  days  for  them. 

The  Molokans  had  no  definite  form  of  religion  for  many  years. 
During  the  last  years  of  the  seventeenth  century,  two  highly 
educated  men,  Skovoroda  and  Tveritinoff,  had  come  under  the 
influence  of  the  teachings  of  Luther,  Calvin,  and  other  European 
reformers.  These  men  then  preached  reform  among  the  dissenters 
of  the  Russian  Greek-Catholic  Church.  They  thus  paved  the  way 
for  other  reformers.  For  about  one  hundred  years,  the  Molokans 
were  unmolested  by  the  governmental  authorities.  Russia  was 
anxious  to  people  her  Caucasus  region  with  Russians,  therefore 
she  exiled  many  of  the  dissenters  to  that  locality.  Of  all  the  places 
of  exile,  the  last  mentioned  was  found  to  be  very  desirable  by  the 
dissenters  and  many  went  there  of  their  free  will.  Lukian  Sokoloff 
was  instrumental  in  getting  many  thousands  of  the  liberated  serfs 
to  go  to  the  Caucasus  region.  Between  thirty  and  forty  thousand 
cf  the  Dukhobors,  Subotniks,  and  Molokans  migrated  there.  The 
men  were  exempted  from  service  in  the  army.  This  privilege  was 
a  great  boon  to  them  because  their  religion  forbids  their  partaking 
in  any  form  of  militarism.  There  were  between  sixty  and  seventy 
thousand  of  the  sectarians  living  in  the  Caucasus  district  in  1 875. 
For  a  while  the  conditions  there  were  the  best  that  the  sectarians 
had  yet  known.  A  number  of  them  prospered  and  became  wealthy, 
but  the  ma.jority  remained  poor.  Their  occupation  was  chiefly 
cultivation  of  the  soil.  A  great  number  were  engaged  in  making 
butter  and  cheese,  which  were  sent  to  Russia.  Still  others  were 
petty  shopkeepers,  and  teamsters. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  the  Russian  government  again 
began  to  oppress  the  sectarians  in  various  ways.  The  heavy 
taxation  of  their  land  proved  to  be  a  greater  burden  than  they 
could  possibly  bear.  They  were  again  compelled  to  serve  in  the 
army.  Some  of  the  more  educated  among  them  foresaw  disastrous 
times  because  of  inevitable  wars  in  which  Russia  was  to  engage. 
They  therefore  began  to  consider  the  advisability  of  emigrating 
from  their  country.  It  is  well  known  that  of  the  emigrants  from 
Russia  up  to  the  end  of  the  last  century,  the  greatest  number 
were  Jews  and  a  smaller  per  cent  were  Poles,  but  scarcely  any 
Russians  proper.    In  the  last  two  years  of  the  nineteenth  century, 

3 


many  of  the  Dukhobors  left  the  Caucasus  region  and  went  to 
Western  Canada  where  several  thousands  now  live. 

The  beginning  of  the  Russo-Japanese  War  inaugurated  a  new 
era  of  persecutions  for  the  sectarians  in  southeastern  Russia.  They 
were  compelled  to  go  to  war.  Though  many  were  capable  of 
occupying  high  military  positions,  they  were  prevented  from  so 
doing  and  were  put  to  the  most  menial  work.  They  also  suffered 
all  kinds  of  insults  at  the  instigation  of  government  officials.  They 
were  not  permitted  to  go  anywhere  without  passports — and  pass- 
ports were  not  granted  them.  It  is  therefore  not  surprising  that 
these  people  became  disgusted  with  conditions  such  as  they  experi- 
enced, and  longed  to  leave  the  country. 

The  Dukhobors  in  Canada  wrote  to  their  friends  in  Russia,  who 
came  in  large  numbers  to  Canada.  Among  these  were  several 
Molokans  who  at  first  visited  the  Dukhobors,  but  not  finding  Canada 
inviting,  they  traveled  along  the  Pacific  Coast  stopping  at  many 
places  until  they  reached  Los  Angeles.  They  were  favorably 
impressed  by  this  city,  and  beginning  with  1905,  they  began  to  come 
and  continued  to  do  so  until  the  outbreak  of  the  European  War. 

A  very  small  number  of  the  Russians  left  their  families  behind 
when  they  came  here.  Those  who  did  so,  usually  sent  for  them  in 
a  short  while.  There  are  approximately  the  same  number  of  each 
sex  here, 

3.  An  Investigation  of  Fifty  Families.  In  1915,  the  writer 
personally  made  a  study  of  conditions  of  fifty  Molokan  families 
in  the  Russian  community  in  Los  Angeles  and  has  obtained  what 
seems  valuable  information  concerning  the  life  of  these  people.  It 
may  be  said  that  the  Molokans  differ  little  among  tliemselves  in 
their  personal  characteristics,  in  their  mode  of  living  and  tiiinking, 
and  in  their  occupations  and  earnings.  It  is  safe  to  assume  that 
the  fifty  families,  being  about  seven  per  cent  of  the  total  number 
of  Ru.ssians  who  are  living  in  tliis  city,  are  representative  of  the 
Russian  pof)ulati<in  of  Los  Angeles. 

It  is  ;i  Will  known  fjicf  that  the  Russians  have  large  families. 
The  fifty  families  in  (juestion  may  not  indicate  that  llie  luunher 
per  Ijiinily  is  unusually  large,  liut  it  should  Ih'  rememl)ere(l  that 
many  <.f  the  piirenfs  are  young  and  that   a   ruiiiiber  \ver<'  recently 

4 


married.     The  total  number  of  persons  in  the  fifty  families  was 
270 ;  the  average  number  per  family  was  5.4. 


TABLE  I. 

The  Number  of  Families  and  the  Number  of  Rooms  Each  Family 

Occupies : 

Number  of  families 17  14  17  2 

Number  of  rooms  per  family 2  3  4  5 

The  next  item  is  the  number  of  persons,  male  and  female,  in 
each  family,  earning  money.  From  a  careful  study  of  the 
facts,  it  may  be  said  that  wherever  there  is  a  possibility,  the 
wife  is  earning.  In  the  families  consisting  of  three  persons,  few 
of  the  wives  are  earning  as  they  are  invariably  obliged  to  take 
care  of  the  child.  In  the  families  consisting  of  four  or  more 
members,  where  there  is  someone  to  take  care  of  the  very  small 
child  or  children,  the  wife  is  usually  employed.  Of  the  thirty-three 
women  who  were  working,  thirty  were  wives  and  only  three  were 
daughters.  With  little  variation,  this  status  is  the  prevailing  con- 
dition among  the  Russians,  for  as  soon  as  a  girl  is  of  working  age, 
she  marries  and  then  joins  the  married  women  who  are  earning. 

The  weekly  earnings  of  the  males  ranged  in  1915  from  three 
dollars  per  week,  in  the  case  of  a  young  boy,  to  twenty-three  dollars. 
The  greatest  number  earned  in  1915  thirteen  and  a  half  dollars  a 
week.  The  weekly  earnings  of  the  females  ranged  from  four 
dollars  per  week  to  ten  dollars.  The  greatest  number  earned  six 
dollars  a  week.  Of  the  fifty  families,  there  were  only  six  with  a 
steady  income.  All  the  others  suffered  from  periods  of  unemploy- 
ment. At  the  present  time,  the  Russians  demand  and  receive  the 
same  standard  of  wages  that  is  received  by  any  other  nationality. 
As  with  other  nationalities,  the  standard  of  living  rises  with  the 
improvement  of  material  conditions. 

A  feature  peculiar  to  the  Russians  is  that  a  large  per  cent 
of  them  own  their  homes.  Though  their  earnings  were  small,  the 
investment  in  a  home  was  a  means  of  saving  for  them;  they  are 
all  eager  to  save.  Of  the  fifty  families  investigated,  twenty-six 
owned  their  homes.  The  values  of  these  homes  ranged  from  $800 
to  $4,000. 

5 


TABLE  II. 

The  Number  of  Families  Owning  Homes  and  Value  of  the  Property  in  1915: 

$800  to     $1300  to     $1900  to      $2300  to 
vaaeo        omes ^^^^^         ^^^^^         ^^^qq         $4000 

Numcer  of  families  owning  homes....         ti  7  8  5 

Total  value  of  homes $48,600.00 

Averafe-e  value  of  homes „ 1,869.23 

Total  debt  on  homes 14,400.00 

Average  debt  on  homes 592.30 

Total  equity  on  homes 33,200.00 

Average  equity  on  homes 1,276.92  • 

Maximum  equity 2,500.00 

Minimum  equity 400.00 

In  the  last  few  years,  the  Russi.:'.ns  have  developed  new  ideas 
regarding  their  desires  for  the  future.  They  no  longer  buy  homes 
here  for  they  do  not  intend  to  remain  in  this  city  permanently. 
Almost  all  the  Russians  who  own  their  homes,  do  not  occupy  any 
more  rooms  than  are  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  comply  with 
the  housing  laws.  The  remaining  rooms  they  rent  to  others.  In 
almost  all  cases,  there  are  two  or  three  families  occupying  one  house. 
Those  who  rent  rooms  also  use  no  more  rooms  than  are  absolutely 
required  by  the  housing  laws.  The  habitations  of  nearly  all  are 
poorly  furnished.  Tlie  floors  are  bare,  the  furniture  is  of  the  cheap- 
est kind,  and  consists  of  beds,  of  which  there  are  usually  two  in  each 
room,  except  the  kitchen,  where  there  is  a  table  and  a  few  chairs. 
These  people  are  not  only  opposed  to  icons,  but  they  carry  the  idea 
further  and  have  no  pictures  of  any  kind  on  the  walls.  There  is  no 
attempt  to  make  the  surroundings  esthetic  or  pleasant.  A  home  is 
apparently  looked  upon  as  a  place  of  shelter  only.  In  spite,  how- 
ever, of  crowded  conditions  (as  the  total  number  of  persons  in  fifty 
fai))ilies  was  270  and  the  nuiii])er  of  rooms  for  the  lifty  families  was 
154,  the  average  number  of  persons  per  room  was  1.75),  the  habi- 
tations are  fairly  clean. 

4.  Occupations.  Of  ;ill  the  Russians  in  this  city,  about  75 
per  cent  of  the  working  men  were  employed  in  lumber  >;m(1s  ui) 
to  the  outbreak  (if  the  war.  'riicii  the  majority  entered  tlic  sliii>- 
liuilding  industry.  About  1<I  pn-  cent  own  nnd  drive  their  own 
tc;iiiis,  iind  work  \)y  the  d;iy  in  Iwiuliiii:  produce  jiikI  dllici"  citni- 
riiodities.  About  2  pir  cent  arc  engaged  in  iiinning  little  grocery 
stores  and  Ijutclicr  shops,  \\lii<-h  arc  patroni/cd  by  tlieir  own  jx'opb'. 
The  niiiaindrr^about  l'{  p<r-  cent — are  employed  in  various  ways, 

6 


e.  g.,  in  the  metal  trades,  automobile  shops,  planing  mills,  fruit 
canneries.  The  last-mentioned  occupations  are  followed  by  the 
younger  men  of  the  community,  who  have  had  some  schooling  but 
who  left  school  as  soon  as  the  law  permitted  them  to  do  so. 

It  is  the  usual  thing  aintjng  the  Russians  for  the  married 
women  to  work.  The  young  women  are  employed  chiefly  in 
laundries.  Girls  M^ho  have  attended  school  and  have  learned  the 
English  language,  work  in  the  biscuit  factories  which  are  in  the 
neighborhood.  A  small  number  of  girls  work  in  a  candy  factory 
on  Utah  Street.  The  older  women  work  in  fruit  canneries  or  do 
housework  by  the  day.  Though  many  of  the  girls  who  have  been 
to  school  for  several  years,  could  do  other  work  and  perhaps  earn 
more  money,  the  parents  are  anxious  to  have  them  work  near 
home  and  among  their  own  people.  Clerking  or  office  work  might 
cause  the  girls  to  become  "Americanized"  quickly  and  to  this  the 
older  people  object. 

5.  Religion.  As  stated  at  the  beginning  of  this  monograph, 
the  religion  of  the  Molokans  sprang  from  that  of  the  Dukhobors. 
Both  these  sects  are  opposed  to  war.  They  believe  in  no  earthly 
representatives  of  God.  The  Molokans  have  no  ministers  or  church 
dignitaries  of  any  kind.  They  have  no  rules  or  traditions  as  to 
who  shall  be  their  religious  advisers.  Their  pastors  are  not  ordained, 
do  not  receive  compensation,  and  are  not  dependent  upon  the 
approval  of  the  community.  Their  authority  prevails  only  at  prayer 
meetings,  marriage  ceremonies,  and  funeral  services.  It  may  be 
said  that  the  Molokan  religion  has  little  definite  form.  It  is  sys- 
temless.  ]\Iany  of  its  phases  are  exceedingly  crude.  It  is  incoherent 
and  inconsistent.  It  prohibits  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  and 
smoking.  Like  the  orthodox  Jews,  the  Molokans  abstain  from  eating 
pork  and  are  supposed  to  slaughter  their  beef  in  a  certain  manner. 

They  came  to  this  country,  as  other  races  before  them  had 
come,  to  seek  a  haven  where  they  could  enjoy  religious  freedom. 
In  the  course  of  time  a  change  has  come  in  their  attitude  toward 
religion.  Originally,  religion  was  considered  the  chief  and  only 
end  of  life.  Now  they  are  beginning  to  consider  it  more  as  a  means 
than  an  end.  They  are  seeking  other  goals  besides  religious  free- 
dom, namely,  political,  economic  and  social  freedom. 


The  Molokans  are  divided  into  two  groups,  Postoyani"  (steady) 
and  Priguni  (jumpers)..  The  Postoyani  have  drifted  very  little 
from  the  Greek-Catholic  Church.  They  have  done  away  with 
church  dignitaries  and  icons,  but  keep  the  holidays  as  do  the  Greek- 
Catholics.  But  the  Priguni  have  entirely  abolished  the  forms  of 
service  as  well  as  the  holidays  of  the  Greek-Catholic  Church.  They 
celebrate  the  same  holidays  as  do  the  Jews  according  to  the  Old 
Testament,  having  added  only  that  of  the  birth  of  Christ,  whom 
they  consider  their  Saviour. 

Both  the  Postoyani  and  Priguni  consider  any  clean  room  a  fit 
place  for  worship.  In  the  center  of  the  prayer  room,  there  is  a 
table ;  around  the  room  and  near  the  walls  are  benches.  The  men 
are  seated  at  the  right  from  the  entrance  and  the  women  at  the  left. 

There  are  at  present  seven  churches  in  the  Russian  settlement. 
These  are  simply  very  large  rooms  in  which  church  services  are 
conducted.  During  holidays,  some  private  homes  are  also  used 
for  religious  services.  The  Priguni  conduct  their  prayers  in  a 
unique  manner.  All  pray  aloud  for  some  time,  until  one  feels  that 
the  "spirit"  has  entered  into  him,  when  in  a  trance-like  manner 
he  comes  to  the  center  of  the  j)lace  of  worship.  Tlie  praying  goes 
on  in  a  sing-song  loud  tone  of  voice  until  one  by  one,  every  person 
feels  the  "spirit"  witliin  him. 

Among  these  sectarians,  funeral  services  are  occasions  of  much 
prayer  and  many  gatherings.  The  members  of  the  family  of  the 
deceased  take  turns  in  wailing  and  lamentation  in  a  sort  of  monot- 
onous, rhythmic  fashion,  speaking  of  the  good  deeds  and  excellent 
personal  traits  of  the  deceased.  Tliese  services  u.sually  last  for  a 
day  or  two,  until  the  burial  takes  place. 

6.  Social  Life.  The  social  and  religious  life  of  these  people 
are  closely  related.  Il  is  their  religion  that  has  kept  them 
together.  It  w;is  because  of  their  rc^ligion  tliat  Ili<\v  were  persecuted, 
exiled,  and  cdinfX'lled  to  live  togetlier  in  Russia.  When  they 
decided  to  emigrate,  they  eaine  here  and  settled  in  this  city,  close 
together.  Almost  all  the  Mdhikan.s  in  tliis  city  are  related  by  bloo*! 
or  marriage. 

They  are  naturally  elannish  beeause  of  their  comparatively 
reeent    immigrati<in    and    because    of    ignorance    of    the    Englisli 

8 


language.  Their  mutual  interest  in  each  othc^r  keeps  them  together. 
Among  their  admirable  traits,  that  of  mutual  self-help  is  indeed 
commendable.  Very  few  apply  for  public  charity.  If  a  family 
or  individual  among  them  is  in  straightened  circumstances,  the 
community  does  all  it  possibly  can  to  assist.  Local  charity  records 
show  that  application  for  aid  has  been  made  by  only  a  few  Russians. 
The  Russians  consider  it  a  great  disgrace  to  apply  for  charity,  no 
matter  how  needy  they  may  be. 

Though  the  Molokans  have  no  acknowledged  leaders  in  their 
community,  the  older  people  give  instructions;  they  are  usually 
obeyed.  The  old  people  are  highly  respected,  both  by  their  children 
and  grandchildren.  As  long  as  the  grandfather  lives,  he  is  usually 
head  of  the  family  in  all  affairs.  Though  he  be  strong  and  healthy, 
a  Russian  usually  retires  from  the  active  life  of  earning  money 
when  he  is  about  fifty.  His  children  support  him.  Therefore,  it 
is  not  unusual  to  see  able-bodied,  comparatively  young-looking 
men,  sitting  around  at  home  or  visiting  together.  Recently,  how- 
ever, many  of  the  older  men  have  been  working  in  the  shipyards. 

The  Molokans  usually  marry  very  young.  Girls  of  sixteen  and 
seventeen  and  boys  of  eighteen,  are  considered  of  marriageable  age. 
The  parents  arrange  the  marriages  of  their  children.  The  young 
bride  always  goes  to  live  with  her  husband's  people.  Because  she 
works  and  contributes  the  earnings  to  the  family  exchequer,  it  is 
customary  for  her  husband's  people  to  compensate  her  parents  for 
depriving  them  of  an  assistant  in  the  form  of  a  worker  before  she 
has  paid  back  to  her  parents  part  of  the  cost  of  rearing  her  to  a 
marriagable  age.  This  practice  is  looked  upon  by  the  American 
authorities  as  a  form  of  buying  and  selling  girls.  But  the 
Molokans  are  very  indignant  at  such  a  suggestion.  In  all  earnest- 
ness, they  consider  the  custom  a  justifiable  practice. 

The  form  of  the  marriage  ceremony  is  as  follows :  The  parents 
of  the  young  man  bless  the  groom  and  grant  their  permission  for 
his  marriage.  The  young  man  then  goes  to  the  house  of  the  bride- 
to-be,  where  the  guests  are  gathered,  all  praying.  After  praying, 
the  bride's  father  says  to  the  groom,  "I  give  you  my  daughter  as 
wife."  Whereupon  mutual  consent  is  requested  and  each  promises 
his  faithful  love. 

9 


The  birthrate  is  very  high  among  the  INIolokans  but  infant 
mortality  is  also  very  high.  Of  the  children  brought  here  in  infancy, 
a  greater  per  cent  survived  than  of  those  who  are  born  here. 

7.  Education  and  Recreation.  A  very  small  number  of  the 
JMolckans  ^vho  migrated  here  were  literate  when  they  came.  This 
condition  was  doubtless  due  to  the  fact  that  their  economic  status 
was  very  low. 

The  young  go  to  school  and  learn  eagerly.  In  the  Utah  Street 
School,  where  the  writer  has  been  engaged  in  teaching  for  four 
years,  there  are  about  1,000  children.  About  forty  per  cent  of 
them  are  Russian  Molokans.  These  compare  very  well  in  their 
studies  with  the  other  nationalities  attending  this  school.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  the  Russians  do  not  allow  their  children  to  remain 
in  school  any  longer  than  the  law  requires  them  to  stay.  No  matter 
how  eager  the  boys  and  girls  are  for  a  higher  education,  they  are 
taken  out  of  school  and  sent  to  work  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  When 
they  finish  the  eighth  grade,  they  are  not  sent  to  the  high  school. 
In  the  past  year,  about  ten  completed  the  eighth  grade  of  the 
elementary  school  on  Utah  Street  before  they  were  fifteen  years  of 
age. 

Besides  the  day  school,  there  is  also  a  night  school  in  the  Utah 
Street  District.  Tliis  is  largely  attended  by  Russians,  the  greater 
number  of  whom  are  boys  and  girls  who  have  had  little  or  no 
schooling.  A  few  men  also  attend,  but  unfortunately,  none  of  the 
women,  though  several  attenii)ts  have  been  made  to  induce  tlie 
women  to  come. 

Two  attempts  have  been  made  to  have  the  Russian  language 
taught  to  the  young  and  adults  by  teachers  which  the  Russians  them- 
selves secured.  Several  years  ago,  the  Molokans  obUiined  permis- 
sion from  the  Hoard  of  Education  to  use  two  of  the  class-rooms 
at  the  Utah  Street  Sch'Kjl  from  three  to  tiv(^  o'clock  <iaily.  Th(; 
classes  were  cnnrliictcfj  by  ;(  mail  iirid  woimiii  who  wen-  paid  l)y 
the  coiiimuiiity.  The  instnictors  wi^re  not  Alolokans  hut  native 
Russians  who  possessed  a  good  education.  After  several  months, 
thr-  school  was  discontinued.  liMst  year,  another  attempt  was  made 
to  Ikivc  a  Russian  schcxjl  eondiicted  in  one  ol'  the  private  lioiiies 
hut  this  e.xperiiiient  was  shoit  lived. 

10 


The  night  scIk.gI  in  tlie  Russian  neighborhood  is  well  attended 
by  little  boys  and  girls  who  would  otherwise  be  on  the  streets. 
They  come  and  play  various  games  in  the  school  rooms,  directed  by 
a  teacher;  or  en  the  playground,  which  is  well  lighted  and  has  an 
attendant  in  charge. 

The  Y.  W.  C.  A.  maintains  a  Club  house  on  Utah  Street  to 
which  a  number  of  girls  arc  attracted. 

There  is  little  time  for  many  of  the  Russian  children  to  play. 
Almost  all  the  older  children  who  attend  school  have  many  home 
duties.  As  both  the  parents  are  working,  the  boys  and  girls  take 
care  of  the  younger  children  after  school.  During  school  hours, 
the  small  children  are  placed  in  the  school  nursery  of  the  Utah 
Street  School,  which  has  two  trained  nurses  in  attendance.  Besides 
taking  care  of  the  little  brothers  and  sisters,  the  boys  and  girls 
prepare  the  meals  for  the  family  and  perform  various  other  house 
duties. 

If  any  children  do  have  a  chance  for  recreation,  they  eagerly 
fall  into  playing  like  other  normal  children.  The  older  people 
have  very  fev/  forms  of  amusements.  They  do  not  have  outings  like 
other  nationalities.  Their  gatherings  are  usually  at  the  church 
or  in  the  homes  for  the  purpose  of  prayer.  During  holidays,  there 
is  much  feasting  in  the  homes  and  churches.  Weddings,  christen- 
ings, and  funerals  are  occasions  for  gathering  and  feasting. 

During  the  years  that  these  people  have  lived  in  Los  Angele? 
they  have  learned  that  the  principal  of  the  school  to  whom  they 
send  their  children,  is  their  sincere  friend.  Therefore,  they  have 
great  confidence  in  her  and  come  to  the  school  for  advice  concern- 
ing their  most  intimate  affairs.  As  an  interpi-eter  between  these 
people  and  the  principal,  the  writer  has  had  opportunity  to 
become  well  acquainted  Avith  them  and  their  hopes  and  ideals. 
True  Americanism  is  being  interpreted  to  the  Russians  in  a 
splendid  way  by  the  principal.  Through  her,  their  faith  in 
America  is  steadied  and  strengthened. 

8.  Assimilation  and  Amalgamation.  Owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  Molokans  live  in  a  comnumity  by  themselves,  the  adults  among 
them  have  not  adopted  American  customs.  Their  religion,  too, 
prevents  them  from  becoming  Americanized.     Intermarriage  with 

11 


other  racial  representatives  is  strictly  forbidden.  Thus  far,  of  all 
the  Molckans  here,  six  girls  have  married  out  of  their  own  religion  ; 
these  have  been  disowned  by  their  parents  and  ostracized  by  the 
community. 

Because  the  Slolokans  are  opposed  to  war  or  militarism  in  any 
form,  they  refuse  to  become  naturalized.  Of  the  members  of  the 
fifty  families  which  were  specially  studied,  none  of  those  eligible 
to  naturalization  have  taken  advantage  of  the  privilege.  They 
state  that  one  of  the  chief  causes  for  leaving  their  native  land  was 
their  opposition  to  war.  But  since  they  are  subject  to  being  drafted 
into  military  service  in  the  event  of  war  in  this  country,  they  do 
not  want  to  become  naturalized.  Though  many  of  them  have 
declared  their  intention  to  become  American  citizens  by  applying 
for  their  first  papers,  none  have  become  fully  naturalized.  During 
the  war  none  were  drafted  and  none  enlisted.  Very  few  bought 
liberty  bonds  as  that  procedure  according  to  their  ideas,  meant 
supporting  war.  However,  they  voluntarily  made  substantial 
contributions  to  the  Red  Cross.  Each  head  of  a  family  gave  from 
$5  to  $10. 

The  narrow  sphere  of  their  activities  and  occupations  causes 
the  adults  of  the  community  to  remain  ignorant  cf  American 
customs.  There  are  a  few  things  which  they  have  of  necessity 
learned.  But  the  vast  differences  between  the  customs  and  laws 
in  Russia  and  in  the  United  States  are  understood  by  only  a  few. 
The  majority  of  them  have  only  a  vague  idea  of  the  American 
conception  of  liberty,  and  a  number  of  them  are  disappointed 
when  they  find  it  is  not  the  same  as  their  conception.  This  disap- 
pointment, however,  does  not  result  in  lawlessness.  When  told 
that  the  law  requires  the  children  to  stay  in  school  till  they  are  of 
a  certain  age,  tho  parents  naturally  submit,  but  remark  that  it  is  a 
strange  law  that  does  not  permit  the  parents  to  have  entire  control 
of  their  children. 

The  younger  elpinent  among  the  Molokans,  on  the  other  hand, 
are  rapidly  becoming  Americanized.  Th(>  effective  agency  in  this 
particular  is  naturally  the  public  school.  The  children  learn  eagerly 
and  rapidly.  Considering  that  they  hear  English  spoken  only  in 
H<;hool,  we  may  conclude  that  they  acquire  the  language  (|uickly. 

12 


In  some  instances,  the  young  who  earn  and  they  who  are  in 
contact  with  liberal  ideas  begin  to  show  signs  of  revolt  against  the 
customs  of  their  elders.  This  results  in  real  tragedies  in  the  homes. 
It  is  not  always  the  best  American  traits  that  the  young  foreigners 
acquire.  When  the  young  men  of  the  Molokan  community  began 
to  frequent  saloons  and  other  undesirable  places  there  was  a  great 
disturbance  in  the  community.  Above  everything  else  that  the 
Molokans  in  Los  Angeles  are  grieved  over,  is  the  fact  that  the  young 
are  drifting  away  from  parental  authority.  They  see  in  this 
tendency  the  destruction  of  their  most  cherished  ideals. 

The  recent  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  girls  to  drift  from  the 
old  customs  may  be  said  to  be  desirable  from  a  liberal  standpoint. 
The   girls   object  to  being   "married  off"   to  young  men  simply 
because  the  parents  are  satisfied  with  the  arrangement.    They  show 
desires  for  better  things  in  life  than  their  mothers  have  experienced. 
They  also  show  the  natural  trait  of  girls  in  their  desires  for  pretty 
clothes.     They  are  no  longer  contented  to  wear  the  same  style  of 
costumes  they  had  worn  in  Russia;  they  do  not  wish  to  be  distin- 
guished by  their  peculiar  style  of  dross.     They  also  seek  to  go  to 
dances  or  moving  picture  shows.     This  desire  is  considered  most 
outrageous  by  the  elders  in  the  community.     Though  many  of  the 
young  people  desire  the  enjoj^ments  of  youth  which  are  mentioned 
above,  very  few  dare  to  indulge  in  them.     And  here  the  tragedy 
comes   in.      The   older   element   in   the    community   considers  this 
drifting  away  of  the  young  from  old  traditions,  the  result  of  living 
under  modern  city  conditions.     Therefore  their  most  ardent  desire 
and  sole  hope  is  to  leave  the  city  and  establish  themselves  upon 
the   soil.     With   very   few   exceptions,  the   Molokans  are  looking 
forward  to  the  time  when  they  can  leave  the  city.     Many  have 
already  done  so.     Between  three  and  four  hundred  families  (per- 
haps 2,000  individuals)   have  left  Los  Angeles  within  the  last  six 
years  and  have  gone  to  other  parts  of  the  country  where  they  have 
bought  land.     Many  of  them  went  to  Mexico ;  others  went  to  New 
Mexico,  Utah,  Arizona,  Washington,  and  Oregon;  a  few  others  to 
different  parts  of  this  state,  but  in  every  instance  away  from  cities. 
The  complete  statistics  of  the  fifty  families  indicates  very  clearly 
that  within  the  last  eight  years,  few  of  those  who  came  here  have 
bought  their  homes.     They  are  now  determined  not  to  remain  in 

13 


the  city   permanently  and  therefore   do   not  buy  homes  as  they 
once  did. 

9.  Conclusions.  The  Molokans  in  this  city  are  frequently 
referred  to  as  Russian  peasants.  The  writer  was  born  in  Russia 
and  as  a  child  lived  among  the  peasants  in  that  part  of  the  country 
known  as  "Little  Russia,"  or  the  Ukraine,  which  comprises  several 
governments  in  the  southern  part  of  European  Russia.  The 
peasants  there  are  indeed  on  a  very  low  plane  of  civilization. 
Almost  all  of  them  are  illiterate  and  ignorant.  Their  mode  of 
living,  tlieir  customs  and  habits  are  crude.  But  the  Russians  in  this 
city  belong  to  a  distinctly  higher  class.  By  coming  in  contact  with 
the  ^lolckans,  one  will  soon  realize  the  difference. 

During  four  years  of  teaching  at  the  Utah  Street  School,  at 
which  almost  all  the  Russian  children  attend,  the  writer  has  had 
occasion  to  come  in  close  contact  with  the  adults.  It  is  true  that  they 
are  illiterate  in  a  great  majority  of  cases,  but  they  are  of  that  class 
vhich  has  had  the  courage  to  suffer  for  an  ideal.  They  have  been 
persecuted  at  the  hands  of  the  Russian  Government  and  have 
suffered  many  cruelties  and  hardships  because  of  their  religious 
convictions.  Their  religion  may  be  considered  crude  and  narrow 
in  many  instances,  but  it  can  not  be  denied  that  these  people  have 
high  moral  standards.  Along  the  way  on  the  march  toward  civ- 
ilization, it  is  the  people  who  have  the  courage  to  suffer  for  what 
they  considered  riglit  who  have  risen  above  those  who  merely 
drifted.  So  it  is  that  these  dissenters  from  the  Russian  state  church 
have  also  risen  far  above  the  average  Russian  peasants. 

In  Russia  they  learned  through  bitter  experience  that  laws 
were  for  the  benefit  of  the  leaders  and  the  detriment  of  the  masses. 
Tlii'V  look  forward  \n  just  laws  and  nrc  imxious  to  abide  l)y  tlu^iii  in 
this  country.  They  desire  law  t)ii1  not  lawlessness,  such  as  they 
experienced   in   Russia. 

On  tlic  whole,  it  may  be  said  th;it  the  Russians  in  tliis  city 
are  a  quiet,  law-fibiding  people.  'IMiey  ;ire  nut  given  to  any  of  the 
vices  or  ei-imes  as  a  <lass.  that  are  found  ;iniong  other  nationalitii's. 
There  are  recc  rds  of  only  several  cases  of  arrests  of  Russian  men 
for  drinking.  Thus  far  tlieic  have  not  been  any  cases  of  arrests 
of  wotiien  for  any  miseondu(;t  or  vice.  A  inimber  of  small  lioya 
have  been  known  to  L'et  into  trouble  l)eeause  of  i)elly  larceny,  and 

14 


have  been  detained  in  the  Juvenile  Hall.  If  anything  of  this  sort 
occurs,  the  entire  neighburhood  is  generally  astir.  The  parents 
are  greatly  alarmed  and  are  ready  to  follow  advice  that  would 
prevent  recurrence  of  such  trouble.  Like  other  people  of  meagre 
income,  they  send  the  boys  to  sell  newspapers  in  the  business 
sections  of  this  city.  The  freedom  in  the  handling  of  money,  to 
which  these  boys  are  nut  accustomed,  and  the  dazzle  of  the  things 
that  they  see  have  a  very  bad  influence  over  those  who  go.  The 
parents,  therefore,  do  their  utmost  to  keep  them  away,  if  they  find 
that  the  effect  is  harmful. 

It  is  gratifying  to  say  tliat  by  far  the  greater  number  of  older 
boys  and  all  girls  are  of  splendid  character.  The  affectionate  care 
which  these  boys  and  girls  give  the  younger  brothers  and  sisters, 
is  most  inspiring.  They  distinguish  themselves  in  almost  all 
branches  of  elementary  school  work  and  would  undoubtedly  do 
likewise  in  the  higher  branches  of  education,  were  they  given  an 
opportunity  to  pursue  them.  Above  everything  else  in  school,  the 
clean  morals  of  the  growing  children  can  not  be  spoken  of  too 
highly.  If  there  is  any  psychical  characteristic  that  can  be  said 
to  be  more  predominant  than  any  other  among  these  children,  it 
is  that  of  stubborness.  When  rightly  directed,  this  trait  becomes 
an  asset. 

The  children  of  the  Russians  have  undergone  a  remarkable 
change  in  the  last  three  years.  They  were  in  the  habit  of  conversing 
among  themselves  only  in  Russian.  Now  they  always  speak  English. 
The  girls  formerly  came  to  school  dressed  in  their  national  mode 
of  attire  with  bright-colored  or  black  lace  shawls  over  their  heads. 
In  the  summer,  they  wore  white  shawls  made  of  muslin  and 
embroidered  in  the  Russian  cross-stitch  of  red  and  black  embroider- 
ing thread,  edged  with  lace.  There  was  scarcely  ever  a  girl  who 
was  seen  with  hei'  he;id  uncovered.  Now,  however,  all  this  situa- 
tion is  changed.  All  of  the  girls  come  bareheaded  and  dressed  like 
American  children.  They  pride  themselves  in  not  being  different 
from  other  cliikh^m  in  tlicir  manner  of  dress.  If  they  are  asked 
to  put  on  their  Russian  costumes  for  any  occasion,  they  do  not 
want  to  do  it  because,  as  they  say,  they  are  ashamed  to  be  Been 
on  the  street  other  than  as  American  children.  They  are  confiding 
and  affectionate  and  one  feels  that  with  proper  environment,  they 
will  grow  up  to  be  splendid  men  and  women. 

15 


There  is  this  to  be  added,  however,  that  judging  from  the 
desire  of  the  older  element  in  the  community,  there  is  scarcely  a 
chance  of  many  Russians  remaining  in  Los  Angeles.  Everywhere 
among  them  one  learns  that  they  are  here  temporarily,  and  that 
they  are  in  constant  hope  of  going  out  upon  tlie  land  where  they 
wish  to  establish  themselves  permanently.  In  either  case,  whether 
those  growing  up  remain  here  or  move  out  into  rural  districts, 
there  seems  to  be  no  reason  to  think  that  the  Russians  will  ever 
be  a  serious  problem  to  this  city.  In  view  of  their  excellent 
personal  characteristics  and  the  hope  that  they  will  adopt  the 
best  of  our  American  customs,  we  may  look  forward  to  seeing 
them  develop  into  desirable  American  citizens.  Much,  however,  is 
to  be  done  in  improving  their  material  circumstances,  in  bringing 
about  better  living  conditions,  and  in  giving  them  the  best  ideals 
that  we  can  offer  them. 


16 


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No.  9.     "Social  Work  as  a  Profession  in  Los  Angeles,"  by  Mary 
ChaflPee,  Oct.,  1918.    Pp.  12.    Fifteen  cents. 

No.  10.     "Social  Thought  in  American  Fiction," (1910-1917),  by 
Hazel  Wilkinson,  Dec,  1918.    Pp.  24.  Twenty-five  cents. 

No.  11.     "The  Russians  in  Los  Angeles,"    by    Lillian    Sokoloff, 
March,  1919.     Pp.  16.     Fifteen  cents. 

Address  communications  to  the  Secretary,  The  Sociological  Society, 
University  of  Southern  California,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 


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